Bonding
by ksfd89
Summary: A little oneshot set in S2. I liked the line in I Can't Get Started where Luke tells Jess they don't have to 'watch Sleepless in Seattle together' and I liked the idea so much I wrote a fic about it! Enjoy! There's a little Literati too.


**Oneshot set in S2. I always liked the idea of Luke and Jess having a movie night!**

Jess is bored. He's lying back on on the old leather chair, flicking from channel to channel as his uncles goes in and out. He's switched for the fifth time when Luke stops and exclaims,

"What are you doing?"

"Thought it was self-explanatory."

"Yeah, you're wasting time. Aren't you usually scowling at me from behind a book?"

"Finished it."

"Don't you have like a dozen?"

"What's your point?" Jess exclaims, sitting up. "I'm watching TV, since when is that a crime?"

"You're not watching it though! You keep zipping from one show to the next, and what the hell is this?"

They both look at the screen. An blonde woman is exclaiming, waving some papers around, and Jess shrugs.

"No clue."

"No clue? Then why don't you turn it off and do something constructive?"

"Like what, exactly? Because the last time I checked, you told me, pretty loudly, I recall, to stay the hell out of your way while you installed the new part of the oven. Judging by the swearing and you stamping up here every two seconds, it's going really well."

"That's enough, wise guy."

"You want me to take a look at it?"

"No I don't," Luke snaps. "I don't need the diner exploding."

Jess lifts his hands.

"Just trying to help."

Luke sighs, closes his eyes and drops his hand onto his nephew's shoulder for a moment.

"I'm sorry. I'm just kind of stressed."

"Gee, I couldn't tell."

Jess smiles and, after a moment, Luke smiles too, looking a little sheepish.

"Maybe I do need a break. I've been playing with that thing for over an hour. It's freezing down there plus I'm scared any second now Lorelai's going to show up and start jabbering about coffee to me."

"Isn't the diner closed?"

"You think that'll stop her?"

"Isn't it below thirty outside?"

"You think that'll stop her either?

"My mistake."

Luke sinks down into the chair next to Jess, taking his cap off and leaning forward.

"What is this anyway?"

"I said I don't know."

"If Lorelai did show up she could tell us," Luke remarks. "Her or Rory."

"I'll mention it to her."

"You'll mention it to her?" Luke echoes, looking over. "When did you start hanging out with Rory?"

"I don't - I mean, I see her here. And around."

"Around?"

"I loan her books sometimes," Jess says nonchalently. His cheeks are a touch pink, but he leans to the coffee table, coughing and opening the TV Guide.

"According to the oracle, this is _Sleepless in Seattle_."

They sit silently for a moment, watching the scene unfold. The blonde woman is crying to her friend about a little boy having no mother, and Luke interrupts to say,

"Why are we watching this again?"

" _We_?" Jess asks, smirking, and Luke exclaims, "Well, you, I'm just sitting here for a second."

"I'm not watching anything," Jess says, putting the remote on the armrest. "I was seeing what was on. If you want, I can turn it off and start blasting Metallica."

"No need for that. Who's the kid she's talking about? To her friend?"

"Beats me."

Luke picks up the remote and flicks through the other channels. He sees a cooking show, a kids' show, a documentary on toothpicks and a repeat of a baseball match.

"That's where I was about two minutes before you came raging in," Jess comments. Luke turns the set off.

"No point then."

"I guess not."

"Lorelai's seen that movie, right? Her and Rory?"

"I guess so."

"They tell you that?"

"No, but they've seen everything else since the guy cranked the reel by hand. Why do you care anyway?"

"I don't!" Luke protests. "I'm just curious!"

"Right," Jess says, and then grins as Luke turns the TV back on and finds the channel.

"Look, it's passing the time," Luke says. "I don't think I've ever seen a movie the whole way through."

"That I believe."

They watch as the blonde woman, whose name they discover is Annie, peels an apple. She does it in one, lifting up the ribbony green, and Jess remarks, "Now that's a neat trick."

"My mom could nearly do that," Luke says fondly. "There'd always be just a little bit she missed and it bothered her every time."

"I don't think I ever saw Liz peel fruit. She'd always cut herself when she tried to cook and we had to keep a box of bandaids by the chopping board."

"Sounds about right," Luke snorts. He looks over at Jess, who's focusing on the screen. "Have you spoken to her lately?"

"A few weeks ago, if that meets the definition of _lately_ ," Jess says, not turning his head. "She seems fine."

"You miss her?" Luke dares ask and Jess shrugs a little. "I miss not being bugged about the TV," he says eventually, his voice a little tight. "She didn't care what I did in the day."

Luke looks at him, considering asking more, but is distracted by the scene changing. A little boy and his dad are bantering back and forth and Luke chuckles.

"That kid is a wiseass like you."

"Yeah, well don't expect me to call up radio shows on your behalf. Not that you don't need it."

"Excuse me?"

"When was the last time you asked out someone you liked?"

"What does that mean?" Luke demands. "I was in a relationship six months ago, not that it's any of your business."

"What happened?"

"It doesn't matter,"Luke says, wishing he hadn't mentioned it. "Rachel - that was her name - it just didn't work out. She didn't want to stay in Stars Hollow."

"Can't say I blame her," Jess remarks. "You never mentioned her."

"Didn't need to. She's moved, I've moved on."

"Right," Jess says. "So you don't want to date anyone else?"

"Who said anything about not wanting to date?"

"You never ask anyone out."

"It's none of your business," Luke says again, and, after a pause, "who am I going to ask?"

Jess smiles, shakes his head and turns back to the screen. Luke stares, coughs and then looks back himself.

"What about you, anyway?" he asks and Jess says, "What about me?"

"I don't see you going on dates."

"I could if I wanted to."

"So why don't you?"

"There isn't anyone I like. Girls I like don't tend to feel the same."

"What girls?"

"No one, forget it."

"You mean back in New York?"

"Sure, why not," Jess grumbles and Luke raises his eyebrows. "Jess, do you -"

"There's no one here," Jess says sharply. "And relax, if I find someone you won't need to ask. I'll just hang a sock on the door."

"You'll do no such thing!"

"Relax, I was kidding."

"There'll be no hanging of socks, do you hear me?"

"Doubt you'll be needing any," Jess says, grinning to himself and Luke flicks the side of his ear. "Shut it."

Jess rubs his ear and Luke says uncomfortably, "I guess I'll have to give you a talk, if you're going to hang up socks."

"No you don't," Jess says quickly. "Trust me."

"But -"

"It was a _joke_. Please."

Luke scratches behind his ear, feeling like he's doing this wrong. Whatever _this_ is. He should give a talk, though what he's supposed to say Luke has no idea. His father never gave him a talk. He and Liz were told not to come home pregnant, or get someone pregnant and that was it. Luke didn't, Liz did. The result is sitting next to him, and Luke has a sudden fear of a repetition. But he doesn't know how to say any of it. He didn't sign up for this. They watch without talking for a while until Jess finally says,

"This is so corny it'd make Taylor sick."

"No mean feat," Luke agrees. "You know Lorelai and Rory are all into stuff like this."

"Well, some of it they mock."

"You think they mock or like this?"

"How the hell do I know?" Jess asks. "You want me to ask them?"

"I don't want Lorelai to know I've watched this," Luke says, making Jess laugh. "She and Rory would never stop teasing us."

"They tease us anyway."

"Lorelai's still giving me hell for liking Star Trek. I don't need this added to it."

"You watch Star Trek?"

"No, when I was a kid."

"Never pictured you as a Trekkie."

"I said I was a kid and - damn, I missed that line!"

"What line?"

"We've missed it now! Is she going to New York or not?"

"Get a clue, Columbo! It's a romantic comedy, of course she's going."

"But there's got to be more to it - damn, I'm missing half the dialogue here!"

"I thought you didn't care?"

"Shut up!"

"The kid wrote to her. She's going."

"How are you so sure?"

"Trust me."

They fall silently, seeing the scenes unfold where Tom Hanks jumps in a plane and Meg Ryan races for the Empire State Building, a neon heart glowing luridly in the background. She's too late and Luke frowns, sighing as the father and son return for the backpack, finding Annie after all.

"I told you it'd work out," Jess says in amusement.

"If you'd been that kid it wouldn't have. I'd have killed you before letting you get on that plane."

"Is that so?" Jess asks, amused, and Luke goes on, "And if you'd left your backpack you'd have to live without it!"

"Relax, I don't think this movie's supposed to be exactly realistic."

"That whole thing was crazy."

"You wouldn't go running up the Empire State Building to see if someone showed up?"

"Someone who?"

"Someone who drinks enough coffee to have energy for it."

"Someone doesn't like me that way, or - and - forget it," Luke says, switching off the TV and getting up. "I can't believe movies like that get made."

"Or that people watch them," Jess says, his mouth twitching. Luke smiles back for a moment, and then stretches. "Guess I'd better finish off that oven."

"Want me to try it out?" Jess asks, getting up. "I promise to cover it if anything blows up, okay?"

"How, exactly?" Luke snorts, but he smiles and nods. "Give it a shot."

They go down to the diner together and, a few swears from each later, the oven is working. Luke and Jess celebrate with the last of the apple pie, and Luke tells Jess he hid it from Lorelai.

"I'm sure she's snuck slices into her purse before," he remarks. Luke laughs, shaking his head and Jess rolls his eyes but doesn't voice his thought. _Hopeless_.

The next morning, Lorelai and Rory come in. It's cold out and when Rory comes up to the counter her nose is pink from it, as if someone streaked a paintbrush across her face. She orders coffee for her and Lorelai and adds, "Oh, could you make it extra strong? Mom's a little sleepy."

She yawns widely, clapping a hand over her mouth and Jess grins. "Seems you are too."

"We had an extra long movie night."

"Oh yeah, what'd you watch?"

" _Steel Magnolias_ and _Saving Private Ryan_."

"Very similar."

"Both very tragic."

Jess nods, starting the coffee machine, and says, "Luke and I watched a movie too."

"You did? What?"

"Uh - I forget," Jess says, feeling his own cheeks redden and Rory frowns.

"You forget? Didn't you watch it last night?"

"We missed the start."

"Describe it, I might know it."

"It was some old war movie," Jess says, focusing on the coffee. "Kind of boring."

"Oh, okay."

Jess turns back and Rory smiles. She starts talking about a book she's just finished and Jess is distracted. There's a fleck of snow on her hair and he watches it dissolve. He's thinking about how nice she looks, all flushed from the cold, and jumps when Rory says, "Jess?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if you'd read it."

"Sorry - what book?"

" _Lady Susan_ ," Rory repeats. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Jess says, blinking. "Hey, you like romantic comedies, right?"

"Um, some of them," Rory says, looking at him quizzically. "They're kind of dumb but fun."

"You ever see _Sleepless in Seattle_?"

"A few times," Rory says, confused. "Why?"

"No reason. Did you like it?"

"I like how it works out in the end," Rory says. "And Annie's apple trick. I wish I could do that."

"Yeah, it's cool."

Rory stares at him and Jess coughs.

"Liz watched it - I saw it was on last night, that's all."

"Oh. Right."

They are interrupted by Lorelai bounding up to the counter.

"Coffee ready? I need it in an IV!"

"All yours." Jess pours out two steaming mugs. He's putting the cash in the register when he hears whispering behind him, Lorelai and Rory giggling. Jess knows they've guessed, but will admit nothing. Never, he decides. Luke walks past him to take some orders from the kitchen and Lorelai calls out,

"You got any pancakes today?"

"Wait your turn!" Luke calls back.

"Apple pancakes?" Lorelai asks. She and Rory fall apart, unable to stop laughing, but Luke ignores them. He waits for them to sit down before glaring at Jess.

"Can't keep anything to yourself, can you?"

"Hey, I didn't say anythimg."

"So that was a coincidence?"

"Must have been."

They fall silent, looking over at Lorelai and Rory. They've settled at their table, sipping their drinks, exclaiming as they burn their tongues.

"They've got no patience," Luke remarks, but he's smiling. He turns to go in the kitchen and says, "I'm going to make some pancakes. Chocolate chip though."

"Right," Jess nods. He stares back over at the table. Lorelai has sneaked out her cellphone, checking her calls and Rory is drinking more of her coffee, scrunching up her nose. Rory catches his eye, smiles and Jess smiles back. They look at each other kind of bashfully until Jess is interrupted with an order. Luke emerges with the pancakes and Jess seizes the dishes. "I got it."

Jess delivers the plates, smiling a little when Rory looks up and Lorelai cuts in.

"How are you today, Jess?"

"I'm good," Jess says, not thinking of a witty remark, and Lorelai seems a little surprised.

"Well, the sun's out, right?"

"I don't know about Seattle though," Rory teases and Jess picks up their cups.

"Need a refill?"

"You know, we've got all those movies," Lorelai tells him. "If you and Luke want to watch any more."

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"My mistake," Lorelai says, smiling into her pancakes and Rory adds,

"You weren't sleepless last night, were you?"

"Very witty. You going to give me a hard time for much longer?"

"At least a week," Rory ponders.

"It's okay, Jess," Lorelai says. "If you want to get her back, Rory had a Bryan Adams poster over her bed for two years!"

"Mom!"

"You did, huh?"

"I'm not talking to you," Rory says, blushing properly, and Jess says,

"You want a truce, Gilmore?"

"Never!"

Jess doesn't admit that he enjoys their teasing back and forth. He and Rory chuckle a little until Lorelai says she has work, and Rory gets up to pay. Jess wishes he could ask her to watch a movie with him, mock it together, and see her laugh out loud. But Jess knows he won't ask her. He can't even tell Luke, that he doesn't want to see her say no. He doesn't care, but he does, and Jess wipes down the counter, looking at Rory and imagining her trying to peel the apple like Annie. She'd give up and laugh and Jess would take her hands _. Relax. It's just a movie_. But for now, he'll settle on talking to her about books and will only watch films with his uncle. Only he won't admit it this time, or ever tell Luke how he feels. That maybe how he likes Rory is how Sam and Annie feel - in a less crazy way, of course. Jess shakes his head. Caught up on a Gilmore girl. Sounds like a movie in itself. He sees Rory go and she lifts her hand to wave and Jess waves back, smiles and goes back to his own kind of reality.


End file.
